Labyrinth
by DrunkardMuse
Summary: In truth, an understanding forms. In this understanding, there is a reality. In this twisted reality is a choice. I cannot run away from my fears any longer, I must face them head on. Not even death can stop me now. Used to be a oneshot, now it's a story.
1. Writing on the Wall

Author's Note: This was originally based on a poem I wrote that was inspired by a dream that was somewhat like this (ah, poems based on dreams that turn into oneshots… can life get any better? I say NAY!). I then decided to give it a Silent Hill twist to make things interesting and I of course decided to include my favorite monster in all the games, The Pyramid Head. And of course, he plays the role of the punisher.

Title: Labyrinth

Rating: Mature

Length: 1,208 words

I woke up to the pungent smell of something I couldn't quite place my finger on. It smelled somewhat like rotting meat, but much more sickening. Opening my eyes, I was shocked to see how dark it was. Where was I? What is this place? I rise to my feet slowly, swaying. My head is pounding and I bring my hand up to my forehead to find that my hair is horribly matted.

When I reach forward, my hand comes in contact with something solid. The surface is cold and rough. I trace my fingers across the expanse of the unknown object and figure that it must be a wall. Stepping forward attentively, I lean against the wall for support, my head is still pounding. Sliding slowly to the floor, I sit on something, causing me to jump slightly. I reach out into the darkness to find whatever I sat on and my hand touches what feels like plastic. It's a flashlight.

I struggle to find the switch to turn on the light, praying that this thing has batteries in this thing. To my shock, but pleasant surprise, when I flip the switch, a stream of light shoots out. Compared to the almost black darkness, the light is blinding. After my eyes adjust, I see that the beam does not reach far, something was stopping it. It was another wall. Apparently, I was in some sort of hallway. There was something rather peculiar about the wall; it was an odd brownish red color. Reaching out to touch it again, some of the strange coating on the wall chipped off into my hand. Bringing it to my nose, I curiously sniffed the substance. It smelt of rust and something else I couldn't quite place.

I spotted the shadow of something lying against the opposite wall from me and I bent down to pick it up, it was a gun. Why was that there? Bending down to pick it up, I found that it fit perfectly in my hand, almost too perfectly. A roaring scream erupts from the darkness, forcing me to cover my ears. The whole hall seems to shake violently. I steady myself by gripping to the wall, what the hell was that?

Finally deciding that I should move forward and find a way out of this place, I place one foot in front of the other and push myself forward. My footsteps echo loudly off the metal floor and walls to the point where it is almost deafening. But that's the only sound that keeps me connected to reality, the tap of my boots against metal, that and the steady inhale and exhale that seems one hundred times louder than usual.

After what seems like an eternity, I begin to feel tired. How long have I been in these winding, narrow halls? How long _will _I be here? Why am I here? … Where exactly _is _here? These are the thoughts that have entered my mind since the beginning, echoing off the walls of my mind. Periodically, the roar returns, seemingly getting louder the farther I walk. I sigh, for all I know I could be walking in circles. To my horror, my flashlight starts to flicker, and then it dims out completely.

In the total darkness, I begin to hear my heart beat. It races as I reach forward, not knowing what I'll touch. Nothing, just air… I exhale the breath that I had been holding. Then I see it, a faint glow in the distance. I cannot judge exactly what the glow is coming from, nor can I properly judge how far it is from where I stand. Could it be another person lost in this cursed labyrinth? Hope fills my heart and I dash blindly forward, but hope soon turns to horror when I see what waits for me there.

The light came from candles that hung from the walls, and what they revealed sickened me. It was blood, and it covered the walls. Stepping closer to the wall, I saw that the deep crimson spelled out words, and I began to read. It only was a matter of moments before I jumped back, letting out an audible gasp. These were my memories, my fears, my sins… written in blood. How did they get here? WHY were they here? Shaking, I reached out and touched the wall, only to find that the blood was still fresh. I stifled a scream. I dash forward; feeling the cold and vengeful stare of something follow me. Each of the letters painted in blood seemed to scream out at me, taunting me. I wanted to yell back at them, I wanted to cry, I just wanted to leave. Pressing onward, picking up speed, the red letters soon becoming blurs, but they never lost their meaning.

I came to an abrupt stop when I ran into something, falling backwards. Looking up, I saw that it was a door. The door held two messages, neither of them was comforting. The first message was: Face your fears. The second: Judgment has come. I reached up to my eyes, tears now flowing freely. I wanted to curl into a ball and never move again… but something kept me going. Curiosity overwhelmed fear as I reached up to the rusted handle and gripped it. Turning the handle slowly, The door creaked open. "Is this the Minotaur's dwelling?" I mused aloud.

Opening the door fully, I stepped in, a new boldness filling me. I was no longer in a narrow hallway, but a cavernous room. What sat in the middle of the room made all boldness flee from me. It was a hangman's noose. I reached out to it attentively and took it in my shaking hands. The haunting scream filled my ears once more, this time reaching to my very core. Spinning around wildly, I searched for the source of the howl. Then I saw it.

Standing tall, almost proudly, not ten feet away from me, was a towering figure. He wore what reminded me of a butcher's smock and a large triangular helmet. In his hands, he gripped an unthinkably large sword, one that was crusted over in what was undoubtedly blood. I felt like screaming, but nothing came out. The monster stepped towards me and I realized that it had not been screaming that had been haunting me in those halls, but the scrape of his blade on the rusted metal floors. This only terrified me more. As the monster neared me, it's intentions became clear… he was going to kill me.

I dropped to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably. What had I done to deserve this? The writing in the blood shot through my mind, and then I knew. This was atonement for my sins. I was meant to die in penance. I rose from the floor just as the monster reached me. The monster reached fourth and took a strong hold of my throat. I did not struggle as he lifted me off the ground, I no longer feared death. Taking his sword, the monster thrust it forward and I felt his blade slice through me completely. Then… I felt nothing. The sweet release of the abyss was upon me.

THE END

Note for those not familiar with a lot of Mythology: The Minotaur was the creature who would roam the labyrinth, feasting on all of those who had the misfortune of crossing his path.

Author's Note: I hope you liked my first story posted on Please leave a review, I would greatly appreciate it! 3, DrunkardMuse


	2. An Empty Grave

Author's Note: I know that Labyrinth was originally a one shot, but people liked Labyrinth so much, and several of my friends pestered me into writing a sorta sequel. It was rather exciting, because the first chapter of Labyrinth is being published in a book being put together at my school because there was a writing contest and I decided to enter it (and won!).

Labyrinth

Just as soon as all feeling left my body, a prickling sensation came to my skin, covering almost my entire body. I opened my eyes and I met total blackness, where was I? My last few moments before that… thing stabbed me flooded back into my memory, only bringing up more questions. Where was I? What was this prickly feeling that spread across the length of my body? A shudder passed through me and I felt breath enter my lungs. Suddenly, I felt as if I was experiencing vertigo, any sense of direction I might have had in this black void was now erased completely. My whole body ached and my head throbbed with an unbelievable intensity. I let out a scream when my vocal chords suddenly became active as my body felt as if it were being consumed by a white hot flame.

Suddenly, the pain stopped, and my body went limp. Then slowly, ever so slowly, shapes started to fade into my vision. The world around me was starting to take form. Unlike that horrid Labyrinth I had found myself trapped in, this world contained light. It was a dull, gray light, but it was light. I blinked several times and then the world came into focus.

I was in a graveyard, shrouded in a thick mist that forbid me look any further than a short distance. I was sprawled out across the ground, my fingers digging into the soft ground beneath me. The feeling of soil gripped in my hand was much more welcome than the rusty, blood-crusted walls of the seemingly never-ending hallways of the Labyrinth. I closed my eyes in sheer bliss, enjoying the coolness of the surrounding air.

Several moments had passed, and my body refused to move. Not only that, but my mind refused it as well. I did not want to leave the solace of the graveyard, I wanted to stay. Although the atmosphere was gloomy, it was calming as well. I closed my eyes once more and listened to the welcome silence.

It was in my quiet reflection that a disturbing notion came to mind, I had died… I had been killed by that monster. Was this heaven? It couldn't be, I had been a wretched human being in my life, but this couldn't possibly be hell. No, hell would be much, much more unpleasant than this graveyard. It was in my pondering when I felt the will to move my limps to raise myself from the ground.

As I sat up, I took another look around the graveyard, and saw that I was lying near an empty plot. A rectangular hole was dug into the earth, a little larger than the average coffin size, and deep enough to burry a body. At one end of the hole was a simple gravestone that stated the would-be occupant of the grave.

_Kiara Williams_

_1984-2007_

_**No one will miss her anyways.**_

A sudden chill came over me, and I knew that it was not from the gentle breeze. Tears began to fill my eyes as I imagined my grave years from now. Uncared for without even a wilted flower left by a loved one placed before it. I blinked and the taunting inscription was gone, now replaced by what would normally be put on a gravestone.

_Rest in Peace_

How could I rest in peace if I was standing here at the place of my would-be grave? Why was I here? My confusion soon resulted in tears. I just couldn't take this. The pain of death was nothing compared to the pain of sorrow that I felt now.

It was in my self-pitting that I missed the voice. A strange voice that I had never heard in my life called out to me. I looked up from the ground and caught sight of a figure running towards me. Instincts caught hold of me and I started to run. The voice called out to me, this time sounding concerned. I turned, facing in the direction of the voice that still called out to me. A man faded in from the mist, his face was contorted with anxiety and worry. When he reached where I was standing, he stopped. As he breathed heavily he spoke in a breathless tone. "I thought I was the only one out here." The sound of another human's voice rang pleasantly in my ears and I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around the man's neck. I felt him stiffen under the contact and I pulled back, wiping a tear from my eye.

"I'm sorry," I said sheepishly, "I've just… been through a lot." The man then did something I didn't expect, he smiled at me.

"You look like you have. How long have you been here?" The man's question made me really wonder, how long _had _I been here? It honestly felt like forever. When I didn't answer, the man placed a hand on my shoulder and I returned my gaze to him. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice filled with sincere concern. I nodded weakly and he took off the jacket he was wearing and placed it over my shoulders. "You looked cold," he said in a factual tone.

"Thanks." I murmured. "I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"

"Oh, where's my manners? The name's Arthur." He outstretched his hand to me and I timidly reached out and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you, Arthur, I'm Kiara." Arthur smiled down at me warmly and I returned the smile shyly. "So, why are you here?" I asked Arthur. It was then I noticed a small cut and bruise above his left brow. "How did you get hurt?"

"Car troubles," Arthur sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "The engine just died on me about a mile back. I'm not sure why, either, that car is practically brand new and has never given me any trouble before this." Shaking his head, he looked back at me. "So, what about you?" Millions of fabricated explanations entered my head, each sounding more ridiculous than its predecessor. Was I just supposed to tell the man that I was stabbed and woke up here by some sort of magic? I fought the urge to snort; I would hate to see what kind of magic would be responsible for this.

"Honestly, I'm not sure." Arthur nodded, signifying his understanding. After a moment of silence, Arthur spoke again.

"Well, how about you and me get out of this grave yard and find a way out of here?" I nodded, it was a suggestion that I could agree with. With that, we turned and left the graveyard together, neither of us sure what we would find beyond the rusted gates.

Author's Note: Heh, well… it didn't really become a sequel, but it seems as if the one-shot has been morphed into a story. Funny how my muse works like that. Well, if you liked it (or even if you didn't), please comment; I would like to hear from you. Catch you later! –Miss DM


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